1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners. More particularly, the present invention relates to an on-board portable vacuum cleaner for suctioning dirt and debris from carpets and floors of motor vehicles.
2. Discussion of the Art
Attachment hoses of conventional upright vacuum cleaners and portable vacuum cleaners have been used for many years to suction soil, pebbles, and other dirt from carpets and fabric in automobiles. Vehicle-mounted cleaning systems have been proposed which would allow vacuum cleaning to take place at outside locations and in places where no electrical outlets are provided for powering or recharging a conventional vacuum.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,804 to Lee, et al., for example, discloses a litter box, within the passenger compartment, which receives trash. The litter box is coupled with a vacuum canister in the trunk, which holds trash in disposable vacuum bags. A flexible vacuum hose can be coupled with the litter box to clean seats and carpet within the passenger compartment. U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,472 to Arena discloses a vehicle-mounted cleaning system which combines a motor-powered wet vacuum and a separator and compaction system for separating and compacting large items of trash, such as bottles and cans.
Such on-board cleaning systems typically employ one suction motor which is permanently installed in a fixed location. A conduit is provided to ports within the vehicle that will accept a vacuum hose. This enables the user to select a port closest to the area of the vehicle to be cleaned. However, to serve numerous ports, the conduit tends to be substantial in volume. To provide adequate airflow to the port that is in use, the vacuum motor needs to evacuate the entire conduit. An inverter is used to provide AC current from the battery for powering the motor. There is a limit to the amount of power which can be readily provided by the vehicle battery. At high power levels, the current drawn may pose safety concerns and cause electromagnetic interference problems. For example, a device operating at 1000 watts will draw a current of about 83.3 amps on a 12 volt DC battery.
The present invention provides a new and improved on-board automotive vacuum cleaner and method for cleaning a vehicle which overcome the above-referenced problems and others.